


love will makee us

by popunkarts



Series: love language [1]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Babies, F/M, Fluff, Love Language, Quality Time, Slice of Life, Teething, john shelby - Freeform, theres. alittle fight but who cares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29728464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popunkarts/pseuds/popunkarts
Summary: making the most of the mundane with your gangster husband
Relationships: John Shelby/Original Female Character(s), John Shelby/Reader, John Shelby/You
Series: love language [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184918
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	love will makee us

**Author's Note:**

> this is a part of a love language series! john boy loooves quality time

“Come sleep with me: We won't make Love, Love will make us.”  
― Julio Cortázar

You listened to the baby in your arms babble to herself, her own incoherent language making her fall into a fit of giggles. You paced the floor for what felt like the hundredth time that evening and she kicked her legs, her attention turned to the stuffed bunny she had thrown to the floor.

“Is that it? Is this what you want?” You inquired, bending down to grab the toy. She immediately pulled it to her mouth, her nose wrinkling as she bit down on the fabric as hard as a teething baby could. You brushed down her curls, cooing as she pressed her face against your chest. “I know, sweet girl. Daddy’s going to be home soon and he’ll have the syrup that’ll make it all better.” You promised, smiling as her mumbling renewed around the soft fabric of the toy, gums rubbing against it.

She began to whimper and you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, the telltale sign of her nose scrunching up allowing you a moment to brace yourself for the noise. She began to cry again, her head thrown against your shoulder in a dramatic display of her discomfort. You sighed and started to rock in place, thankful that her siblings had evacuated the house to play with the other children in the lane. A house full of Shelby’s who could talk and walk was chaos enough, the tribulation that came along with teething would only drive complaints. Even your ever patient and curious Katie had had enough, wrinkling her nose at her little sister and shaking her head when you asked if she wanted to hold her to help her calm down.

The heavy front door swung open, thudding against the wall loudly before slamming shut. You peeked around the wall, the sight of John shrugging off his coat as he made his way toward you filling you with gratitude.

He leaned down to press a quick kiss to your cheek as he passed, making his way to the kitchen. “Why’s my girl making all that noise,eh? I can hear her out on the lane.”

“You gave her those Shelby lungs. She’s using them” You rubbed her back in soothing circles, bouncing her softly. “You missed her giggling. She was laughing up a storm by herself.” You glanced up at John’s peaked cap and he swiftly removed it, tucking it into his back pocket. “I think waiting for the teeth has made her delirious. She’s gone absolutely silly.”

“Have they?” He leaned down and narrowed his eyes at the whimpering baby, his own smile threatening to break his serious demeanor. “They made you silly, did they?”

She hiccupped, hiding her warm face against your neck.

“They’ve made me delirious.” You tutted, running a fingertip lightly down her spine. “Up at the crack of dawn and she hasn’t been down for a moment since. The moment you left her bum was sitting up in that bassinet, just waiting.”

“Let me see them then, pretty. Let’s have a look at the teeth causing all this trouble.” He tipped her chin back, gently pushing her cheeks together with his index finger and thumb. The chubby legs against your stomach began to kick excitedly and she began to giggle, her nose scrunching up. John cooed and inspected her dribbling mouth, laughing at the tiny snort that left the child.

“She’s really lost it.” John agreed, fingers tickling at her neck. “No teeth and all that noise about it.”

“Linda says when she was waiting on Billy’s teeth a little bit of syrup helped her.” You rose an eyebrow, using your free hand to reach into his pocket.

“But there’s nothin’ in there yet.” He pulled the baby up under her arms, covering her cheeks in stubbly kisses. “My girl ought to be out there running with her brothers and sisters.” He bounced her on his hip and she gripped his pinstriped shirt, squealing happily. “All that noise can keep them in check.”

“Try and put her down for a nap.” You stretched your sore arms, feeling the slight burn from being in motion for so long. “She’ll be a riot during dinner if she doesn’t get her nap in.”

“When is she not a riot?” John stretched her above his head, grinning as she began to babble downwards toward him. She spotted you, squealing and squirming in his hand with renewed vigor 

“John, not so high.” You scolded, patting his side in passing. “You better have that damn syrup somewhere.”

“Coat pocket. Straight from Polly Gray. She sends her best.” He affirmed, holding the baby eye level. His eyebrows pinched together and he pressed his nose to her round belly and sniffed, pulling back“Oi!”

“What, John?” You made a face, trying to measure out the thick syrup on a teaspoon spoon. “You’re going to make me spill-”

“She took a fuckin shit.”

“Babies do that.” You nodded, intensely focused on the spoon. “All day.”

“You need to-”

“I’ve been changing her all day.” You tried not to smile, seeing John’s face of disgust from the corner of your eye. “You’re holding her, your turn.”

“I just got home!”

“And I just gave her to you. 

John scoffed, “You knew she shit already!”

“I didn’t, I swear!” You laughed lightly. “Bring her here, she needs the syrup.”

“Syrup and a nappy change.” He scoffed, trying to hand the baby off. You took a step back, trying to spoon the syrup into the child’s mouth from a distance. She let out a whine and John quickly pulled her close, pressing his thumb against her chin to keep her mouth shut. She scrunched up her nose and the two of you watched her carefully. As soon as she let out a sharp cry you dropped the spoon into the sink and took a few steps back, smiling at John.

“You can at least fucking hold her down while I change her then.” He grumbled, his lips against the crown of her head. “Wild little thing, she is.”

“Deal.”

“Go get set up a nappy, then.” He glared at you, trying to hide his smile in your daughter’s hair. As you passed him his hand left the baby’s back and swatted your behind.

“John!” You yelped, rubbing at your backside. “You’re so heavy fucking handed!”

“Never complained before.”

“You’re holding our baby!” You tried your best attempt at a scowl as he began to ready your daughter for changing. You pulled her changing blanket over the dresser, placing a hand over her belly when John laid her down on her back.

She looked up at you, already whimpering and trying to turn onto her belly so she could crawl away. You cooed softly, turning her back onto her back and leaning down to kiss her freckled nose. “I know, daddy’s so slow, my love.”

“If mummy has a problem she can change your smelly arse herself.” John gagged dramatically as he folded up the dirty nappy, holding your daughter’s kicking legs down with one hand as she attempted her routine grand escape. “For fuck’s sake-”

“She’s a baby. This is torture for her.” You covered her ears, pouting at her as she hiccupped while he wiped. “How was work?”

“Fine.” He took a deep breath before leaning back down to pull a new nappy from the drawers. “Long. Busy. Stop moving, you. Not making it easier on yourself.”He pinned her nappy back in place, fingers scribbling lightly at her bare stomach. She erupted into high pitched giggles, kicking chubby feet at her father. “What did you do all day? Miss me?”

“Never.” You rebuttoned the baby’s onesie before John scooped her up to hold her close. “Some reading and chores. I should have gotten dinner started when the troops went out, but someone-” You pinched the baby’s cheek lightly and she pressed herself against John, suddenly shy. “Kept me occupied.”

“Can’t blame her for that.” John walked into the kitchen, already starting to put pans on the counter. “I’d want to be on you every chance I got too.” He adjusted the child in his arms and walked over to the bassinet in the living room. He settled her down and you watched fondly, only catching the end of what he mumbled to her.

“Put up a fight in there, eh.” He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her head before standing up. “Mummy and I have mummy and daddy things to do.”

You couldn’t help a laugh as he waggled his eyebrows, making his way toward you.

“Dinner, John.” You reminded, quirking your own eyebrow.

“But I’ve been away all day.” He protested.

“So have the kids.I sent them out after lunch..” You turned toward the counter, beginning to wash the vegetables that needed to be rinsed and skinned. “I bet they’ll have an appetite when they get back.”

“But I’ve been away from you all day.” His warm breath tickled your skin as he leaned down slightly to kiss along the skin of your neck.

“You have,” Your fingers gripped the carrot, dragging the knife downward toward the counter and pulling up the skin. “I worked up an appetite.”

“Doin what? Waiting on me to get home?” His voice was teetering on the roughness you loved, low and rumbling out of his chest against your back.

You turned toward him, lips just brushing his as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders. You leaned in, taking his ear lobe between your teeth for a brief second before whispering, “cleaning your teething daughter’s shitty nappies.”

John pulled away from you, unamused.

“Grab some potatoes, and get to cooking, Mr Shelby.” You chopped the narrow end off of the carrot, smiling at your handiwork.

The quieter moments came when the kids were in bed, on the couch.

Whiskey and John and heat, his heavy head on your lap. He read aloud the same book you read to the kids, a preview to make sure nothing in the next chapter was too scary. Your eyes attempted to focus on the newspaper on the arm of the couch beside you, fingers absentmindedly carding through his cropped hair.

“I have never seen him. But I spoke to him as he sat behind his screen and gave him your message. He said he will grant you an audience, if you so desire; but each one of you must enter his presence alone, and he will admit but one each day.” John cleared his throat as your fingers paused, blue eyes flicking away from the novel in his hands. You looked down at him and smiled slightly, beginning your ministrations again. “Therefore, as you must remain in the Palace for several days, I will have you shown to rooms where you may rest in comfort after your journey.”  
“It sounds like your fucking brother.” You muttered, eyes on the day’s printed paper before you.

“No it doesn’t.” John’s eyes closed momentarily, finger saving his spot in the book.

“Sure it does.” You scratched at his scalp in slow circles. “We wait and wait and hope he’ll have some news that won’t kill you. That won’t put a bullet in you.”

“What do you want me to tell him, eh? My woman doesn’t want me doing the hard stuff anymore?” He made a move to sit up and you pressed your palm to the middle of his chest, stopping his movement.

“Your woman wants you to be okay.” You briefly tugged his hair once, sharply, making him look up at you. “He keeps tapping into that temper of yours and I think it’ll kill you.”

“Nothing’s happening to me yet.” His hand lifted to squeeze your side gently, his hands heavy against the fabric of your nightdress. “I’m not going first. I’ll live forever, I think.”

“I’ll kill Tommy if I have to.” You began rubbing his scalp again. “If it means you do live forever.”

“The little ones will run circles around you tomorrow.” John sat up, rubbing a hand over his own hair. His tone was sharper now, the conversation over with. “maybe we should go to bed.”

“They won’t, because you’ll be home.” You fingered the page of the paper. “Because it’s your daughter’s birthday.”

“Fuck.” He rubbed his hand over his face, looking at you with tired eyes in the warm light of the fire. “Alright, c’mon.”

“I’m still reading the paper-”You pulled your legs up onto the couch as John’s arm looped under your knees, attempting to stop him. “John-”

“Don’t start your hollering, you’ll wake the fuckin kids.” He grunted. He stood up, lifting you into his arms bridal style. He tightened his grip the moment you began to slip and clicked his tongue at you. “Enough, Y/N, let me-”

“Your bones are creaking, old man!” You tried to get down, afraid of John dropping you or hurting himself. “John, you’ll pull something-”

“Yup, so stop making it fucking hard.” He grumbled, his voice slightly strained. He leaned down slightly so you could reach the table, nodding toward the whiskey bottle and the discarded novel. “Grab em, will you.”

“God forbid John Shelby go without his whiskey-watch it!” You yelped as he dropped you rather ungracefully on the bed, tucking your tight curls behind your ear.

“With my wife comes my whiskey.” He uncorked the bottle, taking a sip and handing it off to you again. John stripped himself of his trousers and button down, leaving him in boxers and an undershirt. He nodded toward the book again, digging around the bedside drawer.

“Don’t smoke in bed.” You reprimanded, knowing there was no use most of the time.

“Start reading, then.” He tossed his lighter back into the drawer and the corner of your lip turned upwards at your small victory. “Give me something to do.”

You squinted at the page, the letters out of focus and small. John reached his hand out, your thin framed glasses in his palm.

You began to protest, “I can see just fine! I don’t need- 

“Just put the fuckin things on, please.” He tossed them in your lap and came to lie down beside you. “You’ll give yourself a headache.”

“Fine.” You shoved the frames onto your nose, batting John’s hand away as he reached out to pinch your cheek.

“You look so sweet like that.” he cooed. “Like a sweet old teacher. I’d be sweet on you.”

You scoffed, eyes scanning the page.“Prick.”

“Maybe if you ask nice.” John smirked beside you, tugging you down by your waist to rest against his chest.

He pressed a kiss to the pulse point behind your ear, nuzzling his stubbly cheek and chin against your skin.

“Alright-I found it!” You giggled, bringing your shoulder up to block him. You elbowed him in the side and he snorted. “Behave-and listen! I want to make sure this book won’t scare Sarah and Katie.”

You cleared your throat, shifting your position so you were leaned against him, the book visible to both of you. He pulled the covers up, tucking them in around your waist as you began to read, “Thank you,’ replied the girl ‘that is very kind of Oz.”

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on tumblr pollyrepents.tumblr.com mwah


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